medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
A few tiny points: One thing about the MT, they called a spade a spade;
they didn't go in for euphemisms. If they wanted to say covered his loins
while seated on his "high chair/seat" [Khaf-Samech-Aleph (chair/seat,)
Resh-Mem (high)], aka "throne," they would have. It says "RGLIW" -- "his
feet." Kings on the Eastern side of the ANE wore ankle length garments
wrapped around their bodies more than once (that much cloth is another
marker of superior status). The wings across his feet would hold down the
bottom of a king's robe anyway, if it could flip up the way it was wrapped;
it says "feet" and it means "feet." Is there any need to perpetuate the
non-existant concept of "feet" as "a euphemism for private parts" concocted
by much later delicate sensibilities.
Also, perhaps for clarity in the Preface, yes, it is from Isaiah 6:3, but
this quote is Isaiah 6:1-3:
>The Sanctus derives from Isaiah 6:3, the prophet's vision in the
>Temple:
>6: 1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a
>throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
>6.2 Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings; with two he
>covered his face, and with two he covered his feet [snip] and with
>two he flew.
>6.3 And one called to another and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
>of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.'
That brings us back to "Sabaoth," which is the Greek transliteration of
Hebrew "Tz'vaot," plural of TZavah (army), root TZadik-Bet-Aleph [TZ-B-A],
and that is translated into English in Isa 6:3 as "hosts." If any explanatory
material is desired, TZ-B-A in all forms always carries the connotation of
military, army, fighting, war, [military] service, length of [military]
service, Temple [military] duty, and so on.
This TZ'vaot ("host") of Seraphim in Isaiah's vision is carrying its
melech [king], in his high-seat, in the van -- and is one heck of a
fighting unit surrounding and guarding "the Lord."
For a new translation, is there any reason to retain non-existant
euphemisms -- or the Greek lack of a letter to represent 'tz'(or shin,
for that matter) that hides the all important meaning -- and what is
actually described in the vision?
Just asking,
RISA
--
Dr. R.I.S.Altman, co-coordinator, IOUDAIOS-L [log in to unmask]
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